The GRE, or Graduate Record Examination, is a standardized assessment test developed and administered by the Educational Testing Services (ETS), a non-profit organization in the United States. It is designed for individuals seeking to pursue graduate education in countries such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and European countries. First implemented in the United States in 1936, the GRE is now recognized as a criterion for graduate school applications in more than 160 countries. The GRE aims to assess individuals who wish to apply to graduate programs in English-speaking countries, measuring their verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, analytical writing, and critical thinking skills acquired over an extended period of learning.
The GRE is divided into two: the GRE General Test and the GRE Subject Test. The GRE General Test evaluates participants' verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and analytical writing skills. On the other hand, the GRE Subject Test is conducted to assess participants' knowledge and proficiency in specific areas such as chemistry, mathematics, physics, and psychology.
GRE General Test
The GRE General Test is an exam conducted on a computer that includes question types reflecting the thinking style and skills required to succeed in master's programs offered by universities including business and law programs. The digital testing environment, tailored to the needs of test-takers, allows participants to skip questions, go back to skipped questions, and change their answers. The GRE General Test evaluates skills such as verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and analytical writing, which individuals have developed over an extended period, unrelated to a specific field of study. It consists of three sections: Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning.
Analytical Writing:
The Analytical Writing section assesses participants' abilities to:
- Clearly and effectively express complex ideas.
- Support ideas using relevant reasons and examples.
- Examine claims and accompanying evidence.
- Sustain a well-focused and consistent argument.
- Control elements of standard written English.
This section requires participants to provide focused responses based on tasks to accurately demonstrate their ability to respond directly to a task.
Verbal Reasoning:
The Verbal Reasoning section of the GRE evaluates participants' skills in:
- Analyzing statements and drawing conclusions, reasoning from incomplete data, and deducing logic from the author's assumptions and/or perspective.
- Understanding multiple levels of meaning, such as literal and figurative meanings, and understanding the author's intent.
- Selecting crucial points, differentiating between significant and insignificant details, summarizing text, and understanding the structure of a passage.
- Understanding the meanings of words, sentences, and passages in context, and grasping relationships between words and concepts.
Quantitative Reasoning:
The Quantitative Reasoning section of the exam assesses participants' skills in:
- Understanding, interpreting, and analyzing quantitative information.
- Solving problems using mathematical models.
- Applying basic skills and concepts related to arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis.
